No.  95,  Second  Series — 3500 


A  Man  and  His  Opportunity 


BY  M.  K.  SNIFFEN 


Secretary  Indian  Rights  Association 


) 


PHILADELPHIA 

INDIAN  RIGHTS  ASSOCIATION 
995  Drexel  Building 

May  1,  1914 


Hon.  Cato  Sells 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs 


A  MAN  AND  HIS  OPPORTUNITY 

By  M.  K.  Sniffen 

Secretary  Indian  Rights  Association. 


We  have  frequently  been  asked  for  an  opinion  regarding 
the  administration  of  Hon.  Cato  Sells,  the  present  Com¬ 
missioner  of  Indian  Affairs.  Heretofore  we  have  stated 
to  all  such  inquiries  that  we  believed  the  outlook  for  im¬ 
proved  conditions  under  his  management  was  more  hopeful 
than  it  had  been  for  many  years.  Before  making  any 
public  statement  on  the  subject,  however,  we  preferred 
to  wait  until  Commissioner  Sells  had  demonstrated  his 
worth.  He  has  been  actively  in  charge  of  the  Indian 
Bureau  for  nine  months,  and  his  administration  has  there¬ 
fore  passed  the  experimental  stage.  During  that  time 
we  have  had  abundant  opportunity  to  closely  observe 
the  man  and  his  methods,  and  we  feel  that  it  is  now  possible 
for  us  to  give  a  mature,  unbiased  review  of  Mr.  Sells’ 
stewardship,  as  an  answer  to  the  question:  “What  do  you 
think  of  the  present  Commissioner?”  Unfortunately, 
there  has  been  much  occasion  to  criticise  the  Indian  Bu¬ 
reau’s  management  in  the  past,  and  it  is  a  satisfaction 
to  praise  where  that  is  possible, — to  give  credit  to  whom 
credit  is  due.  It  affords  us  peculiar  pleasure  to  submit 
for  the  information  of  our  members  and  friends  the  following 
sketch  of  Commissioner  Sells’  masterful  work,  and  also 
to  record  our  thanks  to  President  Wilson  and  Secretary 
Lane  for  putting  the  “right  man  in  the  right  place.” 

vl* 

^  ^  •'j*  »§• 

When  the  present  administration  came  into  power,  on 
March  4,  1913,  there  was  a  feeling  of  deep  concern  by  the 
friends  of  the  Red  Man  as  to  the  kind  of  man  who  would 


2 


be  selected  for  the  post  of  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs. 
This  feeling  was  further  intensified  by  our  investigation 
of  the  record  of  a  number  of  those  who  were  seeking  “to 
land  the  job”;  for  it  developed  that  in  this  group  the 
“undesirable  class”  was  decidedly  conspicuous  and  ag¬ 
gressive. 

THE  PROMISE 

On  March  15,  1913,  a  large  delegation  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association  was  granted 
a  most  courteous  hearing  by  President  Wilson  and  Sec¬ 
retary  Lane  of  the  Interior  Department,  when  attention 
was  called  to  the  importance  of  selecting  a  Commissioner 
who  would  command  the  respect  of  the  entire  country. 
Our  Committee  was  assured  that  the  best  man  obtainable 
would  be  selected.  President  Wilson  said  he  wanted  for 
the  place  “a  man  of  affairs,  because  he  has  millions  to 
administer;  a  man  of  imagination,  that  he  may  have 
sympathy  for  the  Indian;  and,  above  all,  a  man  with  the 
fear  of  God  in  his  heart.” 

Secretary  Lane  tersely  expressed  the  same  thought 
when  he  said  he  wanted  a  “big  man”  for  the  place,  one 
to  whom  it  “would  not  be  a  job,  but  an  opportunity .  ” 

THE  FULFILLMENT 

This  interview  took  place  in  March,  but  it  was  not  until 
June  that  the  place  was  filled  by  the  appointment  of  Hon. 
Cato  Sells,  of  Cleburne,  Texas.  To  indicate  the  care 
exercised  by  Secretary  Lane  in  selecting  the  present  Com¬ 
missioner,  it  is  interesting  to  state  that  before  Mr.  Sells 
was  appointed  his  record  was  thoroughly  investigated 
from  the  time  he  was  twenty  years  old;  he  was  literally 
“weighed  in  the  balance”  and  not  found  wanting. 

Mr.  Sells  brought  to  his  office  a  well-rounded  equipment 
probably  never  possessed  by  any  former  Commissioner, — 
that  of  lawyer,  business  man  and  agriculturalist,  fully 
qualifying  him  to  handle  the  Bureau’s  various  ramifications 


3 


which  involve  every  phase  of  human  life  and  necessarily 
draw  upon  such  an  equipment  every  day  in  the  proper 
performance  of  the  duties  of  the  office.  First  of  all  he 
is  “a  man  of  affairs, ”  having  served  as  Mayor  of  La  Porte, 
Iowa,  when  he  was  but  twenty-two  years  old;  two  terms 
as  County  attorney;  and  as  U.  S.  Attorney  under  President 
Cleveland.  Although  active  and  successful  in  his  pro¬ 
fession,  he  became  deeply  interested  in  stock-raising  and 
farming,  and  for  years  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  the  Iowa  Agricultural  College,  Ames,  Iowa. 
In  1907  he  moved  to  Texas  and  was  successful  in  the  bank¬ 
ing  business.  In  that  connection  he  took  such  an  active 
interest  in  developing  the  resources  of  the  State,  that  he 
was  a  member  of  practically  every  important  agricultural 
board  in  Texas. 

As  to  the  qualities  of  imagination  and  sympathy,  they 
are  evident  from  the  broad  and  humane  way  in  which 
Commissioner  Sells  has  been  grasping  situations  and 
developing  plans  for  the  benefit  and  advancement  of  the 
Indian  in  a  material  and  moral  way.  He  has  shown  that 
he  has  that  other  requirement  specified  by  the  President, — 
‘‘The  fear  of  God  in  his  heart,” — by  “hewing  to  the  line,” 
and  adopting  methods  that  will  have  a  salutary  and  lasting 
effect. 

As  was  well  stated  by  some  Washington  correspondent 
in  commenting  on  Mr.  Sells’  administration: 

“The  job  of  Indian  Commissioner  with  him  is  a  business 
proposition.  He  answered  an  altruistic  call  when  he  took 
the  position,  for  he  had  retired  from  active  business  and 
had  planned  to  settle  down  in  Texas,  the  state  he  has  lived 
in  ever  since  he  left  Iowa  after  a  brilliant  career  as  a  United 
States  attorney. 

“Secretary  Lane  let  it  be  known  that  he  wanted  a  man 
of  ability,  not  a  job-seeker,  a  man  of  red  blood  and  purpose, 
not  a  weakling.  He  heard  of  Sells  and  his  fight  against 
pension  grafters  in  the  middle  west,  and  he  found  that 
Sells  was  indeed  a  regular  fighting  man,  with  ability, 
altruism,  and  that’s  how  today,  Secretary  Lane  has  a  man 
on  the  job  of  Indian  Affairs  fourteen  hours  a  day,  and 


4 


that’s  why  a  new  era  is  dawning  in  Oklahoma  and  the 
other  Indian  states.” 

*1*  *1*  vl>  v !.  ^  .  V. 

^  'P  »p  *p  'p  ^p 

Commissioner  Sells  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office 
with  no  preconceived  notions.  He  announced  no  policies, 
but  began  a  thorough  inventory  of  his  “plant,”  with  its 
6,ooo  employes,  and  a  careful  survey  of  the  whole  field. 

One  of  the  first  things  that  impressed  him  was  the  great 
value  to  the  Indians  of  their  grazing  tracts.  The  breaking 
up  of  the  big  ranges  in  Texas  and  other  states  has  practi¬ 
cally  eliminated  stock-raising  on  an  extensive  scale.  The 
best  and  largest  tracts  available  for  cattle  and  sheep  are 
on  the  Indian  Reservation,  from  which  the  Indian  has 
received  but  small  returns.  Heretofore  those  advan¬ 
tages  have  been  leased,  at  a  small  annual  rental,  to  white 
men,  who  have  grown  rich,  while  the  owners  either  remained 
stationary  or  actually  retrograded. 

Commissioner  Sells  believed  that  these  natural  advan¬ 
tages  should  be  used  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indian  owners. 
Within  ten  days  after  taking  his  office,  Commissioner 
Sells  inaugurated  a  stock  census.  The  result  showed,  as 
against  magnificent  opportunities,  a  very  poor  equipment — 
bulls  and  stallions  of  low  grade  and  too  old  for  use.  The 
sheep  situation  was  similar.  Useless  pony  stallions  by 
the  thousand  were  grazing  on  the  ranges  and  bringing 
no  return  to  the  Indians. 

The  first  real  work  of  Commissioner  Sells  in  this  connec¬ 
tion  was  to  reduce  the  old  “he-stuff,  ”  and  to  purchase 
a  sufficient  number  of  good  stallions,  bulls  and  rams  to 
secure  the  best  result  with  the  “she-stuff,  ”  both  in  the  case 
of  tribal  and  individual  ownership; — in  short,  to  build 
up  the  Indian  stock  wherever  money  was  available  for  such 
purposes.  For  the  Crow  reservation  alone  $450,000  has 
been  expended  for  9,250  white-faced  Hereford  heifers, 
bulls  and  steers. 

As  a  result  of  this  plan  there  is  now  going  on  a  process 
of  upbuilding  and  equalizing  the  Indian  stock  and  elim- 


mating  that  which  is  bringing  no  return.  As  rapidly 
as  circumstances  will  permit,  the  various  reservation 
ranges  will  be  stocked  to  the  maximum  limit  with 
Indian  cattle.  If  this  can  be  done,  not  only  will  thousands 
of  Red  Men  soon  be  in  the  industrious  and  self-supporting- 
class,  but  they  will  be  an  important  factor  in  helping  to 
avert  a  meat  famine,  threatened  by  the  white  man’s 
diminishing  herds. 

Where  grazing  leases  are  now  made  to  white  men,  they 
are  always  on  a  competitive  basis,  and  for  short  terms. 
A  revocable  clause  is  part  of  the  lease,  to  avoid  over¬ 
stocking  the  ranges,  and  also  to  provide  for  the  natural 
increase  of  the  Indian  herds.  This  plan,  under  proper 
management,  should  not  take  many  years  to  make  the 
Indian  the  American  Cattle  King. 

v!.  . !  -  .  t  - 

^  ^ 

Much  is  being  planned  for  the  Indians’  industrial  develop¬ 
ment  by  Commissioner  Sells,  along  practical  lines.  The 
value  and  necessity  for  “ Reimbursable  funds,”  have 
been  recognized  in  the  past,  but  the  amount  heretofore 
granted  by  Congress  (never  exceeding  $100,000  per  annum) 
has  been  wholly  insufficient.  Commissioner  Sells,  with 
his  broad  experience  in  scientific  agriculture  and  stock 
raising,  believes  in  doing  things  in  a  way  that  will  secure 
definite  results,  and  he  asked  Congress  for  a  reimbursable 
fund  of  $900,000,  to  use  in  cases  where  the  Indians  have 
no  tribal  money  that  can  be  applied  for  their  benefit. 

There  has  undoubtedly  been,  in  the  past,  an  indefen¬ 
sible,  one-sided,  unbusiness-like  conception  of  the  Indians’ 
needs  in  various  quarters.  Extensive  and  expensive 
irrigation  systems  have  been  built  on  reservations,  the 
Indians  given  individual  tracts  of  land,  and  then  left 
absolutely  without  any  means  for  developing  them.  An 
irrigation  system  for  the  Blackfeet  reservation,  Montana, 
was  authorized  by  Congress,  at  a  cost  of  $6,000,000  to 
be  charged  against  these  Indians.  As  their  tribal  prop¬ 
erty  is  only  valued  at  $5,000,000,  they  will,  under  the 
scheme,  be  in  debt  to  the  Government  for  one  million 


6 


dollars.  The  people  mostly  to  be  benefited  by  this  are 
white  men  who  are  to  be  allowed  fifteen  years  in  which 
to  pay  for  the  improvement.  By  this  plan  their  lands 
are  brought  under  an  irrigation  system  at  the  Indians’ 
expense.  Meanwhile,  the  Indian  is  without  any  funds 
with  which  to  develop  his  allotment  and  make  beneficial 
use  of  the  water  in  time  to  escape  the  forfeiture  provision. 

The  Uintah  and  Ouray  reservation,  in  Utah,  was  also 
brought  under  a  reclamation  project.  It  is  eighty  miles 
from  a  railroad.  The  Indians  were  placed  on  raw  land, 
with  no  equipment  for  breaking  and  improving  it,  but 
under  obligation  to  get  the  water  on  their  individual  hold¬ 
ings  within  a  few  years  or  forfeit  their  water  rights.  This 
is  expecting  something  that  no  white  man  could  do  under 
similar  circumstances.  Yet  some  people  wonder  why  the 
Indian  does  not  progress  more  rapidly  towards  self-support. 

These  instances  are  cited  to  show  some  of  the  situations 
with  which  the  Commissioner  is  dealing  in  an  effort  to 
hold  for  the  Indian  what  he  has,  and  also  to  indicate  why 
a  large  reimbursable  fund  is  absolutely  necessary  if  the 
best  results  are  to  be  accomplished.  By  its  judicious 
use,  Commissioner  Sells  could  help  such  people  to  secure 
farming  implements,  horses  and  cattle,  so  necessary  for 
agriculture;  to  build  up  comfortable  and  sanitary  homes; 
to  utilize  their  own  timber  and  other  resources  which  here¬ 
tofore  has  been  impossible. 

Commissioner  Sells  is  determined  to  bring  about  a  radical 
and  speedy  change  in  the  present  unsatisfactory  agri¬ 
cultural,  stock  and  industrial  conditions  generally  exist¬ 
ing  throughout  the  Indian  country.  Instructions  have 
been  sent  to  all  reservations  that  “every  Indian  service 
farmer  shall  give  his  time  to  actual  farming  and  under 
no  circumstances  shall  he  continue,  as  so  generally  has  been 
done,  making  the  office  work  the  first  consideration  and 
the  promoting  of  the  farm  work  of  the  Indians  secondary. 
These  things  must  be  reversed.”  Superintendents  are 
also  directed  to  devote  the  major  part  of  their  time  to 
field  work,  in  order  that  they  may  come  in  direct  contact 


7 


with  the  Indians  and  know  actual  conditions  and  stimulate 
individual  effort.  Heretofore,  the  majority  of  reservation 
superintendents  have  devoted  three-fourths  or  more  of 
their  time  to  office  duties,  much  of  which  can  be  performed 
by  clerks.  The  Commissioner  contends  that  “Reservation 
employes  should  know  the  Indians  and  know  them  well; 
understand  their  condition  and  substantially  aid  them  in 
their  forward  march  toward  self-support  and  equipment 
for  citizenship.  ” 

Another  important  question  calling  for  vigorous  attention 
on  the  part  of  Commissioner  Sells  was  the  probate  situ¬ 
ation  in  Oklahoma.  This  is  summarized  in  a  statement 
made  by  the  Commissioner  to  the  Denver  Times,  in  part 
as  follows: 

“The  Indian  children  of  Oklahoma  are  the  richest  aver¬ 
age  children  in  the  United  States;  however,  it  is  a  lament¬ 
able  fact  that  they  have  less  statutory  protection  there 
than  in  any  other  state.  In  each  of  the  forty  counties 
in  eastern  Oklahoma  there  are  now  pending  from  800  to 
1,500  probate  estates,  about  85  per  cent  of  which  are 
Indian  children’s  estates. 

“I  have  recently  discovered  that  it  costs  about  three 
per  cent  to  settle  a  white  child’s  estate,  and  that  it  costs 
more  than  twenty  per  cent  to  settle  the  estate  of  an  Indian 
boy  or  girl.  This  is  the  result  of  guardians  having  been 
appointed  without  regard  to  their  equipment  and  the 
acceptance  of  bondsmen  many  times  wholly  insolvent. 

“Enormous  fees  have  been  charged  by  attorneys, 
and  unconscionable  fees  by  guardians,  together  with 
indefensible  expenditures  of  their  funds  which  has  fre¬ 
quently  resulted  in  the  dissipation  of  their  entire  property. 

“It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  when  an  Indian  child 
reaches  his  majority  to  find  that  his  guardian  has  absconded, 
and  that  his  bondsmen  are  wholly  financially  irrespon¬ 
sible.  It  is  my  determined  intention  to  reform  this  in¬ 
defensible  condition,  and  to  this  end  I  have  recently  appoint¬ 
ed  a  number  of  probate  attorneys  who  will  give  their  whole 
time  under  my  direction  to  this  work.  I  am  now  submit¬ 
ting  a  number  of  cases  to  the  grand  juries  in  Oklahoma 
looking  towards  the  indictment  and  criminal  prosecution 
of  those  who  have  embezzled  funds. 


8 


“Last  week  we  secured  a  ruling  from  one  of  the  courts 
of  Oklahoma,  holding  a  guardian  and  his  bondsmen  respon¬ 
sible  where  the  Indian  children’s  lands  have  been  sold 
for  a  grossly  inadequate  consideration.  It  is  my  great 
desire  to  co-operate  with  the  state  authorities  and  par¬ 
ticularly  with  the  county  judges  in  effecting  these  results, 
and  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  this  co-operation 
will  be  perfectly  arranged  and  carried  out.” 

Mr.  Sells  visited  Oklahoma  for  a  personal  conference 
on  this  subject  with  the  tribal  attorneys,  probate  attorneys, 
field  clerks  and  county  judges.  In  the  past  there  was 
always  a  feeling  of  antagonism  between  the  Oklahoma 
people  and  the  Washington  authorities.  It  was  so  intense 
that  co-operation  was  practically  impossible.  As  a  result 
of  the  Commissioner’s  trip,  a  spirit  of  co-operation  was 
developed,  and  there  is  now  a  disposition  on  the  part  of 
Oklahomans  to  accept  the  attitude  of  the  Government, 
and  a  desire  to  help  reform  conditions.  As  a  result  of 
these  conferences  a  set  of  uniform  rules  governing  probate 
cases  was  adopted  by  the  county  judges  that  are  more 
complete  than  any  statute  of  the  United  States.  The 
outlook  is  very  promising  for  a  “clean  up”  and  an  elevation 
of  the  Oklahoma  standard,  and  an  improvement  in  con¬ 
ditions  that  will  be  an  everlasting  credit  to  the  adminis¬ 
tration  and  gratifying  to  every  one  interested  in  Indian 
affairs.  A  complete  reorganization  has  been  effected; 
a  good  system  adopted,  and  hearty  co-operation  of  the 
county  judges  with  the  Federal  Government  has  been 
established.  Incidentally,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that 
since  Commissioner  Sells  visited  Oklahoma  there  have 
been  several  convictions  and  sentences  to  the  penitentiary 
for  those  charged  with  robbing  the  Indian  minor  children. 

Before  his  trip  to  Oklahoma,  Commissioner  Sells  asked 
Congress  for  $50,000  for  probate  attorneys.  Upon  his 
return  to  Washington  he  appeared  before  the  Indian  Com¬ 
mittee  of  the  House  and  asked  for  more  money.  The 
amount  was  increased  to  $85,000  for  this  purpose, — an 
indication  of  the  forceful  and  convincing  manner  in  which 


9 


the  Commissioner  presents  to  the  Congress  the  needs  of 
his  bureau,  and  the  confidence  his  statements  inspire. 

The  firmness  and  determination  of  Commissioner  Sells 
to  do  things  on  business  principles  is  indicated  in  his  hand¬ 
ling  the  oil  situation  in  Oklahoma,  where  many  leases 
had  been  made  covering  Indian  lands.  Heretofore,  the 
lessees  had  been  allowed  to  do  practically  as  they  pleased; 
departmental  regulations  were  ignored,  which  resulted 
in  an  enormous  waste  of  gas.  One  company  which  held 
a  lease  on  a  Creek  Indian  allotment,  had  been  warned  of 
its  violation  of  these  regulations,  but  that  produced  no 
effect.  Commissioner  Sells  thereupon  imposed  a  fine  of 
$1,000  on  this  company,  and  indicated  very  forcibly  that 
failure  on  the  part  of  others  to  respect  their  agreements 
would  invite  a  cancellation  of -their  leases. 

Commissioner  Sells’  reorganization  of  the  Indian  Bureau 
has  been  the  work  of  a  genius.  When  he  took  charge,  it 
was  badly  torn  by  faction  and  strife.  The  personal  ambi¬ 
tion  of  a  few  people  had  produced  a  demoralized  and  chaotic 
condition,  which  often  resulted  in  the  Bureau’s  real 
purpose — the  welfare  of  the  Indian — being  lost  sight  of. 
The  effect  of  this  was  not  confined  to  Washington,  but 
had  spread  throughout  the  field  service.  It  was  truly  a 
“house  divided  against  itself.”  By  the  use  of  tact  and 
judgment,  Mr.  Sells  has  developed  into  the  Bureau  a 
spirit  of  loyalty,  harmony  and  hearty  co-operation  that 
has  not  existed  for  a  long  time,  if  ever  before.  The  em¬ 
ployes  were  literally  inspired  by  the  magnetic  personality 
of  their  chief ;  his  activity  and  enthusiasm  were  conta¬ 
gious,  and  the  responsiveness  in  efficiency  has  been  little 
short  of  marvellous.  The  Commissioner  has  aimed  to 
so  adjust  matters  that  there  would  be  no  round  pegs  in 
square  holes,  and  to  assign  the  clerks  to  work  that  was 
not  only  congenial  but  to  which  they  were  adapted.  As 
a  result,  the  work  is  now  nearer  up  to  date  than  at  any  time 
in  the  Bureau’s  history.  This  has  been  brought  about 
by  increased  efficiency,  by  system,  and  the  loyalty  of  the 
subordinates  who  willingly  worked  nights  as  well  as  days, 


10 


in  keeping  with  the  pace  set  by  Mr.  Sells.  It  is  unreason¬ 
able,  however,  to  expect  them  to  do  this  indefinitely,  and 
additional  clerical  help  should  be  provided  by  Congress. 

One  noticeable  improvement  is  in  handling  what  are 
known  as  individual  Indian  moneys.  Formerly  when 
a  request  for  authority  to  draw  on  these  funds  came  in 
from  the  field,  weeks  and  months  elapsed  before  it  was 
acted  upon.  Now,  in  most  cases,  these  requests  are  dis¬ 
posed  of  the  same  day  they  reach  the  Bureau,  and  reach 
the  reservations  within  a  week  or  ten  days  after  the  original 
mailing  date. 

Another  important  advance  step  is  shown  in  the  re¬ 
organization  of  the  inspection  force.  Commissioner  Sells 
secured  for  his  Chief  Inspector,  Mr.  E.  B.  Linnen,  formerly 
attached  to  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Mr. 
Linnen’s  long  and  honorable  record  for  honesty  and  effici¬ 
ency  in  the  Government  service  is  of  itself  a  guarantee 
that  hereafter  the  Bureau’s  inspection  force  will  not  be 
‘‘weak  in  the  head,  weak-eyed  and  hard  of  hearing.”  The 
Commissioner  desires  to  substantially  strengthen  his 
inspection  force  by  the  appointment  of  a  few  specially 
equipped,  high  grade  and  dependable  confidential  men 
who  can  be  relied  upon  to  help  in  the  work  of  “  cleaning 
up”  the  service, — men  who  will  not  be  handicapped  by 
previous  personal  friendship  for  the  officials  to  be  investi¬ 
gated.  The  Treasury  and  other  Departments  have  a 
secret  service  corps,  but  no  where  is  it  more  needed  than 
in  the  Indian  Service.  It  is  believed  that  in  the  near 
future  numerous  changes  will  be  made  in  the  personnel 
of  the  service  which  will  greatly  improve  its  efficiency. 

In  selecting  Mr.  E.  B.  Meritt  as  Assistant  Commissioner, 
Mr.  Sells  secured  a  man  of  honesty,  efficiency,  experience 
and  courage.  Mr.  Meritt’s  record  in  the  Indian  Bureau 
proves  that  he  is  thoroughly  dependable;  his  fearless, 
and  practically  single-handed  fight  to  prevent  a  corporation 
from  securing  the  San  Carlos  dam  site  will  long  be  re¬ 
membered.  The  Commissioner  can  leave  his  office,  when 
occasion  requires  it,  with  no  fear  that  his  confidence  will 


II 


be  abused,  and  with  the  assurance  that  his  plans  will  be 
loyally  and  wisely  adhered  to  by  Mr.  Meritt. 

Commissioner  Sells  does  not  regard  his  post  as  a  job , 
but  an  opportunity  to  help  a  race  of  over  300,000,  whose 
property  interests  are  valued  at  $900,000,000;  and  he  has 
been  seeking  in  every  possible  way  to  imbue  his  subor¬ 
dinates  with  the  same  thought, — to  emphasize  the  human 
side  of  the  Bureau’s  work.  He  believes  in  getting  his 
workers  together  for  conference,  as  a  means  of  promoting 
a  clear  understanding  and  unity  of  effort.  He  called  in 
to  Washington  every  supervisor  in  the  service,  and  met 
with  them  twice  a  day  for  one  week.  They  returned  to 
their  respective  posts  with  new  hope  and  ambition  to 
accomplish  things;  to  spread  the  spirit  of  co-operation 
throughout  the  entire  field. 

Commissioner  Sells  spent  two  days  at  Denver,  in  con¬ 
ference  with  the  Liquor  suppression  staff,  to  organize  a 
systematic  procedure  to  secure  the  best  results.  The 
good  effect  of  these  personal  relations  with  his  subordi¬ 
nates  are  apparent  in  every  direction. 

Mr.  Sells  is  a  keen,  intelligent  listener,  and  has  but  little 
to  say  for  publication.  He  believes  in  doing  things  rather 
than  talking  about  them,  and  his  actions  tell  their  own 
story.  When  he  does  talk  on  a  public  occasion,  his  remarks 
are  forceful  and  direct,  with  a  ring  of  sincerity  about  them. 
At  the  conference  of  Indian  Supervisors,  held  recently 
in  Washington,  Mr.  Sells  made  an  address  from  which 
the  following  is  taken: 

“I  believe  that  the  greatest  present  menace  to  the 
American  Indian  is  whiskey.  It  does  more  to  destroy 
his  constitution  and  invite  the  ravages  of  disease  than 
anything  else:  It  does  more  to  demoralize  him  as  a  man 
and  frequently  as  a  woman:  It  does  more  to  make  him  an 
easy  prey  to  the  unscrupulous  than  everything  else  com¬ 
bined.  If  I  say  nothing  more  to  you  tonight  that  leaves 
an  impression,  let  it  be  this  one  thought:  Let  us  save  the 
American  Indian  from  the  curse  of  whiskey. 

“We  have  a  force  of  men  engaged  in  the  suppression  of 


12 


the  liquor  traffic.  That  is  their  special  business.  But 
it  is  my  business,  and  it  is  your  business,  to  do  everything 
we  can  without  injecting  ourselves  offensively  into  the 
work  of  others  or  assuming  a  duty  that  is  not  properly 
ours,  to  create  an  atmosphere,  and  suggest  conditions 
that  will  be  helpful  in  this  respect,  and  above  all  to  be  a 
personal  object-lesson  inviting  the  Indian  to  banish  liquor, 
rather  than  to  be  guilty  of  anything  that  may  cause  him 
to  look  upon  one  of  us  as  a  justification  for  doing  that 
which  leads  him  to  the  destruction  caused  by  the  use  of 
whiskey. 

“There  is  nothing  that  could  induce  me,  since  I  have 
taken  the  oath  of  office  as  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs, 
to  touch  a  single  drop  of  any  sort  of  intoxicating  liquor, 
and  this  regardless  of  my  attitude  on  the  Prohibition 
question. 

“As  a  matter  of  good  faith  to  our  treaty  relationships, 
to  legislative  enactments,  to  the  Congress  which  appro¬ 
priates  $100,000  a  year  for  the  suppression  of  the  liquor 
traffic  among  the  Indians,  we  should  do  everything  reason¬ 
ably  within  our  power  to  justify  this  appropriation  and 
insure  the  best  results  obtainable.  This  accomplished, 
we  have  laid  a  substantial  foundation  for  all  of  our  work 
in  solving  the  Indian  problem,  and  made  a  long  step 
forward  looking  toward  their  equipment  for  the  respon¬ 
sibilities  of  citizenship.” 

The  nearest  approach  of  Commissioner  Sells  to  announc¬ 
ing  any  policy,  is  given  at  the  close  of  his  first  annual 
report,  in  which  he  says: 

“I  am  emphasizing  in  every  possible  way  the  industrial 
education  of  the  Indian  pupils  and  the  industrial  develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Indian  population  generally,  and  every  effort 
is  being  made  to  improve  the  efficiency  of  the  employes 
of  the  Indian  Service,  in  order  to  accomplish  more  success¬ 
fully  the  work  in  hand. 

“I  am  also  emphasizing  the  need  of,  and  doing  every¬ 
thing  possible  to  obtain  for  the  Indians  more  sanitary 
homes,  more  adequate  school  facilities  for  the  Indian 
children,  to  supply  sick  Indians  with  medical  attention 
and  to  take  precautionary  methods  to  prevent  disease, 
to  adjust  more  equitably  the  cost  of  irrigation  projects 
constructed  with  reimbursable  funds,  to  make  larger  use 
of  the  timber  resources  of  the  Indians  for  their  industrial 


13 


and  social  advancement,  to  take  advantage  of  the  extensive 
grazing  land  of  the  Indians  and  to  build  up  tribal  herds 
as  well  as  to  promote  among  the  individual  Indians  a  large, 
more  profitable  cattle,  sheep  and  horse  industry,  and  to 
utilize  in  every  practicable  way  the  resources  of  the  Indians, 
both  tribal  and  individual,  in  promoting  and  completing 
their  civilization  and  economic  independence. 

“It  is  my  fixed  purpose  to  bring  about  the  speedy  indi¬ 
vidualizing  of  the  Indians,  and  to  this  end  I  shall  devote 
my  best  efforts.  ” 

»±»  vl.  vT*  «! '  «1< 

^  ^ 

That  Secretary  Lane  found  the  man  to  whom  the  Com- 
missionership  would  be  an  opportunity  and  not  a  job ,  is 
clear  from  Mr.  Sells’  refusal  to  accept  an  important  and 
more  lucrative  post  in  another  branch  of  the  Government 
service.  Commenting  on  this  the  “New  Republic”  said: 

“Cato  Sells,  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  has  the 
most  difficult,  annoying,  nerve  racking,  heart  eating  job 
in  the  United  States.  He  did  not  apply  for  the  job  or 
any  other  job.  He  was  ‘drafted’  into  the  service  as  a 
public  duty.  He  gets  a  salary  of  $5,000  per  year. 

“Recently,  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  in 
quest  of  a  high-grade  man  to  put  at  the  head  of  the  work 
of  making  a  physical  valuation  of  the  railways  of  the 
United  States,  offered  the  post  to  Mr.  Sells  at  a  salary  of 
$7,500,  a  comparatively  easy  and  comfortable  position. 

“Did  this  offer  of  comparative  ease  and  $2,500  addition 
to  the  salary  attract  Sells?  Not  a  bit.  Three  hundred 
thousand  Indians  were  looking  to  him  to  relieve  them  from 
the  results  of  a  hideous  maladministration  and  from  a  net¬ 
work  of  accumulated  abuses.  He  had  entered  upon  the 
task;  it  had  taken  a  grip  upon  his  heart  and  life  that  no 
offer  of  ease  or  increased  salary  could  shake. 

“And  the  squeals  and  howls  of  rage  and  pain  that  are 
going  up  from  grafters  and  thieves  around  Indian  reser¬ 
vations  indicate  that  there  is  'something  doing.  ’ 

“Long  live  Cato  Sells  and  may  he  have  the  physical 
strength  to  carry  out  his  program,  a  program  that  wrecked 
the  health  of  two  commissioners  who  honestly  undertook 
the  task.  ” 

It  is  understood  that  when  Mr.  Sells  declined  the  first 
tender  of  this  position  a  second  offer  was  made  with  materi- 


H 


‘ally  increased  salary.  His  sense  of  duty  and  an  appre¬ 
ciation  of  his  opportunity  were  stronger  than  the  selfish 
thought  of  material  gain. 

As  a  result  of  Mr.  Sells’  brief  tenure  of  office,  the  standard 
of  efficiency  and  honesty  has  been  raised  throughout  the 
Indian  service, — both  in  Washington  and  in  the  field. 
The  work  he  has  set  out  to  do,  however,  is  by  no  means 
completed.  The  Big  Things, — those  demanding  urgent 
consideration, — are  being  disposed  of  as  quickly  as  possible. 
When  they  are  well  under  way,  other  matters  will,  we 
believe,  receive  proper  attention.  What  has  been  thus 
far  done  is  a  good  indication  of  what  may  be  expected  in 
a  general  cleaning  up  of  every  part  of  the  Indian  service. 

It  should  not  be  overlooked,  however,  that  Commissioner 
Sells’  firm  determination  to  preserve  the  vast  resources 
of  the  Indian,  in  land,  timber,  coal  and  oil,  must  sooner 
or  later  develop  great  disappointment  and  bitter  opposi¬ 
tion  from  selfish  interests;  and  it  is  highly  important  that 
the  true  friends  of  an  honest  and  efficient  administration 
shall  strongly  support  him  in  his  patriotic  and  fearless 
course. 

Our  observation  indicates  that  there  has  been  developed 
a  general  feeling  of  confidence  in  Mr.  Sells’  ability,  integrity 
and  courage  on  the  part  of  the  public  and  the  press;  and 
Congress,  for  the  first  time  within  our  knowledge  of  Indian 
Affairs,  seems  to  be  in  sympathy  with  the  Commissioner, 
and  willing  to  grant  the  necessary  appropriations  to  carry 
on  the  work. 

Commissioner  Sells  has  established  a  new  mark  in  Indian 
administration,  and  his  influence  for  good  can  never  be 
eradicated.  He  has  elevated  the  service  to  a  plane  from 
which  he  would  not  recede  if  he  could,  and  from  which 
he  could  not  recede  if  he  would.  He  has  set  the  pace, 
and  whoever  may  follow  him  (in  the  far  distant  future, 
we  hope),  will  of  necessity  be  compelled  to  live  up  to  those 
established  ideals  or  suffer  by  comparison. 


